Pointers on Finding Low Cost Alaskan Cruises

You can literally save hundreds of dollars by finding cheap Alaska cruise specials and last minute Alaska cruise deals, and I’m going to tell you how to get the lowest prices.

On one cruise vacation I took, I booked a last minute Internet deal for what seemed a great price. It was even lower than the special rates I could get as a travel agent.

Alaska Cruise Specials

But it wasn’t until I got on the cruise that I realized what a great deal it was – the couple in the very same cabin next door to us were paying $800 more per person – and they had booked months in advance!

So you really can save huge amounts of money if you know how to find the best deals, and here’s how you can do it.

First of all, you can definitely find cheap Alaska cruise specials online throughout the cruising season, from May through September. Most likely you will not find the best deals anywhere but here online. I know, because working as a travel agent, I simply could not match these great online deals.

However, the truly best last minute Alaska cruise deals are available two times of year:

Early in the season in May/early June

Late in the season in September

These tend to be the times when there are the most openings on cruise lines and thus the best last minute Alaska cruise deals.

The great deal I mentioned getting above was for a cruise in the second week of September, near the end of the Alaska cruising season (which generally goes until the second to last week of September).

September tends to be the very best time to get last minute deals, as kids are back in school, and most families. It also, fortunately, is my favorite time to cruise Alaska for the following reasons:

There are fewer bugs in September

There is a chance to see some spectacular fall foliage

Few kids, making for a more peaceful cruise

Of course for families, September is rarely a good option, but many great cheap Alaska cruise specials can still be found in early June and even throughout the summer.

For families with kids trying to save money, a good idea is to look for cruises which depart from and return to either Vancouver or Seattle, as this will save a bundle on airfare over the split flights arriving in Anchorage and departing from Vancouver or Seattle.

When combined with a great last minute deal, this can add up to substantial savings (and can generally mean one less flight leg with kids, as many flights to and from Anchorage transfer in Vancouver or Seattle anyway).

So there cheap Alaska cruise specials to be had by all throughout the summer. But if you want to get the truly best last minute Alaska cruise deals, look to book in September!